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Ford and General Motors have announced they are to work collaboratively on a new ten-speed transmission in the hope of boosting fuel efficiency, bloomberg.com reports.

The two motor manufacturers have a history of working together, having previously collaborated on a six-speed transmission. Now, the two look set to join forces once more to create nine and ten-speed transmissions which - when installed into automatic vehicles - could improve fuel efficiency levels by up to five per cent.

It is thought the new systems could be put into cars, trucks and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Until then, however, businesses looking to monitor efficiency levels may be better off using tracking systems and other aids.

The two companies have claimed they are working together on the new transmission as this approach would mean that it wouldn't just hit the market sooner but could do so at a lower cost, both to the firms and consumers. No time limit has been offered as yet, although previous link-ups have seen products go to market around three years after first being announced.

Commenting on the link-up, GM's head of global transmission engineering Jim Lanzon told automotivediscovery.com: "Engineering teams from GM and Ford have already started initial design work on these new transmissions."